Safe
by Silver Moon Lit Forest
Summary: Sci-Fi AU His parents killed and caught by slavers, Naruto does the only thing he can. He escapes. But the man who saved him could also be the devil in disguise.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: **I don't own _Naruto._

**Warnings: **smut in later chapters, shouta (I guess)

**Author's Notes: **This is a request by the lovely Felnore over on Y!Gal. Also, if you find "Pein" where "pain" should be, it's because I fucked up replacing the words. Sorry, I don't feel like re-reading it before posting. Yeah, I'm a lazy ass bitch. I know this.

_Read, review, and please enjoy!_

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><p>Pein tapped his foot impatiently as he stared beyond the small clearing he was standing in. Three small torches were the only light they had besides the moon. He glanced at his watch for the fourth time in less than ten minutes. He was not a patient man by nature, and he was even less patient with stupid people. Which was what this client had a habit of being<p>

He glanced at his right hand man, who had blended in with the tree he was leaning against. If Pein hadn't known who he was looking at, he would have never noticed Zetsu. But they had been friends for years and had worked together just as long. They knew how each other moved, how they worked. He shared a look with the man and Zetsu shrugged.

"Where the fuck is he?" Hidan growled, burying a dagger in the ground repetitively. Pein watched as his gun man mutilated the poor earth he was sitting upon. Hidan was a special one, that was for sure. But the silver haired man was the best in the business and was fiercely loyal to him. Pein paid him well, and knew better than to cross the man. And Hidan knew Pein could ruin his entire carrier with one call. They had a mutual agreement.

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><p>Small feet pounded against the ground, small legs carrying the boy as fast as they could. Blue eyes scanned the area around him as fear and adrenaline pounded through his veins. He couldn't believe he had managed to escape. But he knew they were hot on his tail. He could hear the dogs and men trampling through the underbrush behind him.<p>

He sucked in as much oxygen as he could but it did nothing to sooth the burning of his lungs. He wasn't sure how much further he could go. His bare feet were sore, cuts and bruises searing the nerve endings in his skin. Branches and vines tore at his arms and legs, cutting into his skin, but he barely felt it. All he could think of was getting away, running as far and fast as he could.

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><p>Pein pushed up off the tree he had been leaning against, hand falling to the gun on his hip. Hidan was on his feet, gun and dagger in hand. Zetsu was also on alert, ears straining to catch any noise. And there is was again. The howling of dogs, the shouts of men.<p>

"Ambush?" Zetsu asked as he moved to stand beside his captain. Pein shook his head. If this was an ambush, they were doing a shitty job of it. Anyone for a mile around them would hear all that noise. No. This was something else entirely.

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><p>The small boy gasped for air, muscles screaming in Pein as he pushed onwards. The men's words were still ringing in his ears. They were going to sell him. <em>Sell.<em> They'd killed his family, dragged him out from under the blood splattered bed and away from the only home he'd ever know. They'd beat him, but never touched him. He'd seen it in their eyes. That look that said if a virgin didn't get a higher price, he would have been theirs.

So he'd run. He'd taken a dagger from his guard, stabbing him in the neck with it. He was still covered in the man's blood. It was warm against his skin, dirtying him. He wanted to scrub himself until he was raw. He didn't think he'd ever feel clean again.

He could just barely make out the glow of light in front of him. He had no idea who, or what, was there. But it was better than what was behind him. That was all he knew for sure. Anything was better than being bought as some…some _sex_ slave. He closed his eyes, tears streaming down his cheeks. He pushed himself, making his legs carry himself faster. If he could only just reach…

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><p>Pein drew his gun as they noises grew closer. To be honest, it sounded like a chance. And sure enough, seconds later a small boy burst through the tress. The boy fell to his knees, breathing hard. Tangled blonde hair obscured his face, but he didn't look much older than twelve or thirteen. His clothes were rags, torn and coved in blood. Pein wasn't sure if it was his own or someone else's.<p>

Hidan cursed loudly before lowering his gun. He glanced at Pein who was moving forward to kneel before the boy. One bloody hand came up to grip his shirt. The blood was fresh and glistened in the torch light. The bluest eyes he'd ever seen blinked up at him. The boy's face was badly bruised. The kind of bruising that only came from a beating. His lips were chapped; skin pealing as he tried to talk. The tip of his tongue swiped across his lips and he swallowed.

"Help me," the blonde rasped, tears leaking from his eyes. The boy looked like he'd been through hell. Pein was well acquainted with child trafficking industry, knew the ins and outs of it like the back of his hand. He'd had dealings with them for years; you couldn't be in the business he was in and not. He didn't necessarily like the trade but it was a part of their world. It wasn't going to go away. One either accepted it and stayed out of the slavers hair or pretended they knew nothing about it, like many civilians did. But trading kids this young…It was practically rape. But he had seen younger, had worked hard to rescue younger.

Before he could answer the boy, men burst through the trees, dog hot on their heels. Pein looked up at them, gun aimed at the man in front of him. The man blinked holding up his hands to show he had no weapon. Pein felt more than heard Hidan and Zetsu move up beside him. He glanced at Zetsu, who looked from the boy back to his captain. That look clearly said Zetsu did not like the state the child was in and that he was sure the men in front of them were the cause.

Pein rose slowly to his feet, bringing the boy up with him with a hand on his arm. The boy staggered, collapsing against the older man. The redhead held him close, one arm protectively covering him.

"All we want is the boy," the man in front of him said. Pein leveled him with an icy stare. The man flinched.

"So you can what, fuck face? Sell him into the fucking slave industry?" Hidan asked, moving closer to his captain. Hidan liked the slave industry even less than Pein did. The silver haired man had been sold into it himself when he was a child, granted it hadn't the same one these men were selling the boy into. The industry had been different back then. There whole world had been different. There was no way Hidan would inflict the same fate on anyone else. No matter the crime. To Hidan, death was better than slavery.

The man glared at Hidan and looked back to Pein. The red head met his eyes for a second before surveying the rest of the small search party. There were four men in all, one that looked very familiar to him.

"We don't want any trouble now." Pein cocked his gun. The man stared down the barrel of the gun, eyes wide with surprise.

"Well, you found it," Hidan barked.

"Just give us the child and we'll be on our way." A stocky man who had been still standing near the tress stepped forward. Pein glanced at him and then trained his eyes back on the leader. The gears in the captain's head turned. They really didn't have the room for another person on the ship, but he couldn't just leave the child to these men. If he had recognized the other man correctly, the branch of the slave industry he worked in was one of the harshest places a person could be. They didn't treat their merchandise with respect. The people they dealt to didn't care how banged up and bruised the slave they bought was because they would be doing worse to the poor child.

"Now, here's what's going to happen." Pein pulled the blonde closer to his body as he spoke. He could feel the small boy shacking against him, probably from Pein and fear.

"You're going to slowly back up and were going to wait until you're gone until we leave. And if you try to follow us or ambush us, you will die." His voice was cold and definite.

"You'll regret this," the man answered as he slowly backed up. Pein said nothing watching as the men disappeared into the tress. Once they were gone, he looked down at the shivering boy. The blonde was pressed as close as he could get. Hands twisted in his shirt and he could feel the boy sobbing against him.

"You're safe," Hidan told him and the boy's sobs grew louder. Pein gently picked up the child, cradling him against his chest.

"What's your name, boy?" Pein asked as he moved towards their ship. Their client could wait till later. Besides, Madara was a returning customer and knew how much Pein hated tardiness.

"Naruto," the boy whispered shakily, "Naruto Uzumaki."

"You're safe now, Naruto," Pein told him and the little blonde burst into tears, sobbing against the older man chest. Pein exchanged a glance with Zetsu.

"What are we going to do with him, Captain?" the man asked, brushing a lock of white hair out of his pitch black eyes.

"We're going to clean him up and feed him. He looks like he hasn't had a decent male in days," Pein answered, moving swiftly through the tress. He wanted the safety of his ship as soon as he could. He didn't trust the men not to follow them and try and take Naruto back.

Deidara was the first to meet them as they made their way onto the ship. The lanky blonde pulled up short as he caught sight of the child cradled in Pein's arms.

"What the hell happened?" the medic asked, voice just below a yell. He was instantly pulling Naruto out of his captain's arms, and checking the boy over.

"Madara was late and this boy showed before that blasted merchant did. A group of slavers were after him, recognized one of my old contacts in the group. Not sure if he realized it was me." Deidara huffed at that. Pein was a hard guy to miss. With piercings covering most of his face and hair as bright as flames, there captain was easily picked out of a crowd.

"Well, it looks like most of this blood isn't his," the blonde muttered as he ran his hands over Naruto's upper body. The blonde stood stock still, fists clinched at his sides, bottom lip held hostage by his teeth.

"You don't have to be scared," Deidara said comfortingly as he smoothed the boy's bangs out of his eyes, "We aren't going to hurt you." Naruto nodded, bringing up one dirty hand to rub at his eyes. He sniffled loudly before straightening his back and looking the older blonde in the eye. Deidara smiled at him.

"You're going to have to carry him, Dei," Zetsu told the medic as he passed by him, heading for the bridge, "I'm surprised he can even stand with his feet so torn up." Deidara blinked, brow furrowing as he looked down at Naruto's feet. Sure enough, they were bleeding bad enough that the blonde was now standing in a small pool of his own blood.

"Dear god!" the medic cried, a look of outrage crossing his face, "Why did you say something sooner?" Pein had the decency to look sheepish.

"Sorry, Dei. It didn't cross my mind," Pein apologized. Hidan had already left the hull, probably off to pester Shikamaru. Pein wondered briefly where their brunette mechanic might be when shouting reached his ears. The red head shook his head with a sigh.

"Just take him to my quarters. I'll be there soon." Deidara stared at his captain, wondering if he really meant what he said. No one went into Pein's quarters, unless it was an emergency, like the ship was crashing or they were being attacked. The red head didn't even bring one night stands on the ship. After a moment, the blonde nodded and gathered the fourteen year old in his arms.

Naruto was small, even by Deidara's own standards. He himself was short, barely reaching 5' 5" by the time he was seventeen, but Naruto was even smaller. The boy couldn't be more than 5' 1" and he was skinny. Slim in the hips and in the chest. The medic cast a glance at Pein, eyes still questioning. The captain waved him on before moving towards the bridge.

By the time Pein reached the bridge, Sasori was leaning against one computer panel watching as Shikamaru fended off Hidan. The brunette had one hand firmly pressed against the silver haired man's mouth, holding him at arm's length while Hidan tried to get closer to the mechanic. A tick was starting in Shikamaru's forehead and he looked as if he was ready to just shove the older man onto the floor and hightail it.

"So, what happened?" Sasori asked, "Zet wouldn't say anything until you were in here." The co-captain was on the opposite side of the bridge, flopped gracefully over the navigator's chair.

"We picked up a kid," Pein answered, leaning against the door jamb.

"A kid?" Sasori's brow furrowed and he tilted his head to the side as he stared at his captain.

"A fourteen year old boy, to be exact," Zetsu interjected. Pein gave him a dirty look. He was in no mood for his friend's bullshit and that was right where the other man was heading with this. Zetsu wasn't impressed and just shrugged his shoulders as if to say he couldn't give two shits if Pein wanted his opinion or not. Each man on the ship had full rights to say whatever they pleased, and, when it came to matters that affected them all, the red head was obligated to listen.

"He was running from slavers, Zetsu. Would you have preferred I gave the kid up to be sold off and raped?" Pein growled.

"Whoa. Whoa. No one said that. You know that none of us would leave a child to that," Sasori interjected, "All I want to know is what we're doing with him and if he can pull his own weight."

Pein rubbed the back of his head as he thought. He was covered in sweat and tears. Not to mention the dirt and blood that had rubbed off on him form holding Naruto. What he really wanted was to be taking a bath, but this was part of his position as captain.

"He'll be staying here for now, in my quarters." That earned him looks from everyone in the room, including Zetsu.

"He's staying with you?" Hidan asked, shocked. He had managed to coax Shikamaru into his lap and was currently rubbing his hands up and down the sides of the brunette's thighs. The Nara didn't seem to mind too much and looked as if he was about to fall asleep in his lover's lap.

"Well, he sure as hell can't stay with you, Hidan. And we don't have any extra rooms. I'm not shoving him off anyone else. It was my idea to bring him onboard and I'm making him my responsibility. So, just do your jobs and let me worry about this." The red head didn't give them a chance to respond. He turned on his heel and stalked off towards his room, fully intending to take a bath.

"Pein, wait." Zetsu grabbed him by the arm. The captain stopped, and turned weary eyes at the other man. Zetsu searched his eyes and then nodded.

"Okay," the co-captain said with a nod, "If you need anything, just let me know."

"Thanks. It'll all be okay. You'll get to see him soon." Pein clapped his friend on the shoulder with a smile. Zetsu smiled back at him, instantly thinking of a certain raven, who was waiting for him back at home, and turned with a nod and headed for his own quarters.

Pein watched his friend go before turning and entering his own room. He paused, the door closing softly with a small _click_ behind him. Naruto was sitting on the edge of his bed, not a stich of clothing on his body. Deidara was nowhere to be seen in the room, but the captain could hear water running in his bathroom. The blonde boy was slouched, his arms resting on tanned thighs that were covered in scratches and bruises. The slavers had really done a number on the child, it seemed.

Naruto started when Pein cleared his throat. The blonde bent in on himself, hands cupping protectively over his groin. His body flushed a light pink color, all the way to his toes. Pein couldn't hold back the small chuckle that bubble dup inside him. The boy just looked so cute with his startlingly blue eyes open wide and his skin coloring in embarrassment.

At his chuckle, the blonde boy's demeanor changed. He frowned and then glared at the older man, which brought another chuckle from the red head. Pein leaned casually against his dresser, arms crossed over his chest. He looked the body over and was surprised to find that, even though Naruto was slight and looked underfed, there was muscle under his dirty, tanned skin. It told Pein that the boy wasn't a stranger to work, which made keeping him on the ship much easier.

The two regarded each other until Deidara appeared in the room. The blonde jumped slightly when he rounded the corner to find Pein already in the room.

"Are you sure you're human, Pein?" Deidara commented as he rubbed the back of his head, "I cleaned his feet but he needs a bath before I can warp his wounds. I just filled up the tub." The medic paused watching as Pein pushed off the dresser and started undressing.

"Wait! You're not-" Deidara exclaimed, blue eye wide with shock. Pein paused in the middle of stripping off his pants. Calm purple eyes met shocked blue ones and Deidara gapped at him.

"But you can't! After what he just went through! How could you even think of that?" Pein gave the medic a bored look as he tossed his pants across the room and into a small bin.

"I'm not going to fuck him, Deidara." The blonde on the bed physically jumped. A Peined expression crossed Naruto's face before fear bleed into his eyes. Pein watched the fear blossom across the boy's face and he felt his heart ache for the child. He didn't know exactly what Naruto had been through, but he knew none of it had been good. He moved past Deidara, leaving his boxer briefs on for the time being. It wouldn't do any good to scare the boy to death, considering the current topic of discussion.

He stopped in front of Naruto. The blonde blinked wide eyes up at him, fear clear on his face. Pein smiled but that didn't seem to reassure the blonde. The captain sighed; he wasn't good at these things. His sister was so much better at handling people in these situations then he was. But Konan wasn't here. He'd be dealing with this cute little blonde all on his own.

Before Naruto could react, Pein gathered him up in his arms. The blonde let out a yelp that was close to a scream. The red head winced and tightened his grip on the now struggling blonde.

"Hey! I'm not going to hurt you!" The blonde didn't see to hear him. His eyes were clinched shut and he was shoving at Pein's bare chest hard. When he wasn't released, Naruto resorted to scratching and punching at the captain's chest. Pein winced as the blondes nails dug into his skin, leaving red lines and small trails of blood.

"Naruto!" Pein yelled the boy's name into his ear. The blonde froze, blue eyes slowly opening. He stared up the older man, lips slightly parted as he panted.

"You're safe. No one is going to hurt you. You don't have to fight anymore." Pein kept his voice low and even, slightly soothing. Deidara, who had moved up beside him during the struggle, looked like he had been about to snatch the boy from his captain's arms.

"You can go, Dei. I can wrap his feet." Deidara baulked at him.

"But-!" Pein glared at him and Deidara snapped his mouth shut. He glared back at his captain before stalking out of the room with a huff, slamming the door behind him.

"Are you really not going to hurt me?" Pein looked back down at the boy in his arms.

"I'm not going to hurt you, Naruto. And I plan to make sure no one ever does again." At his words, the blonde relaxed visibly. The red head padded on bare feet into his bath room, and deposited the blonde gently in the large tub. His quarters were the largest out of everybody's, a queen sized bed and a full bathroom. One that he didn't have to share.

Naruto blushed brightly and turned his head when the older man slid his thumbs in the waist band of his underwear and slid them down him body. Pein smirked. Without a word, he slid into the water behind the blonde. Naruto jumped, head whipping around so fast Pein wouldn't be surprised if the boy didn't get whiplash.

"What are you doing?" Naruto exclaimed, scrambling for the other end of the tub. Pein blinked and heaved a sigh at the sight of the blonde's naked bottom as he tried to climb out of the tub. The older man caught the boy by around the waist and yanked him back into the warm water and against him. Naruto squealed like a little girl and tried to wiggle away. Pein groaned at the action. He had no intention of raping the child, but it had been a long time since he'd taken anyone, man or woman. And the feeling of Naruto's soft bottom wiggling against his cock sent tingles up his spin. Against his control, Pein's cock twitched and quickly hardened.

The captain wrapped his arms around the blonde's torso, pulling him completely against him. His erection pressed firmly against their bodies and Pein growled lowly in the blonde's ear.

"Stop." Instead of coming out soft and gently as he had hopped, Pein's voice came out husky and harsh, laden with lust. Naruto froze against him, fingers digging into the flesh of the red head's legs. The blonde swallowed, uncertain of what to do. Fear pounded through his system, but something else swirled in with it, something dark and hungry, something he didn't want to acknowledge.

"Shh, I won't do anything to you," Pein murmured against the warm skin of the blonde's neck. He couldn't resist the urge to nibble lightly at his skin. Naruto's shivered against him and Pein felt the blonde's pulse racing against his lips. He pressed his nose against the Uzumaki's nape, drawing in a deep breath. Naruto smelled almost sweet, like his innocent was a part of his scent. The smell had the captain's cock throbbing against Naruto's backside.

The blonde's breathing hitched, and then he was panting as Pein ran calloused hands down his chest. The older man's thumbs dragged against his nipples and a small moan slipped past the blonde's lips. He bit his lip, emotions he couldn't understand warring inside him. Hadn't this been what he'd been scared of? Wasn't this exactly what he'd been running so desperately from? But there was something Naruto found distinctly different in the way Pein was touching him.

Naruto had seen sex slaves, seen how they were beaten when the disobeyed their master's. Pein's touch wasn't rough or harsh. It was gentle, slow, and made him shiver.

The red head's hands came to rest on the flat plane of his stomach. Pein's fingers tensed and relaxed against his skin, nails dragging against the wetness of his skin. Naruto whimpered, body reacting in ways he couldn't explain. Heat pooled low in his stomach, and his heart thumped hard against the cage of his chest. The blonde wrapped his hands tight around Pein's wrists in a silent plea for the older man to stop but wanting him to keep going at the same time.

Pein took a deep breath, trying to calm the lust rushing through his system. After a few moments, he released the blonde slowly, leaning back against the tub. He let his head lull back on his neck, taking a few deep breaths to calm himself. Naruto inched forward a bit, but the red head's erection still pressed against his body. The blonde drew his knees up, wrapping his arms around him.

How did one handle a situation like this? Naruto knew about sex, had peeped on people before. But he had never imagined himself in such a situation, especially with a man.

The blonde jumped for what seemed like the hundredth time that night when he felt the coolness of a bar of soap against his skin. He looked over his shoulder to find Pein subbing at his back.

"I told you I wasn't going to do anything to you and I meant it." Naruto nodded at the words. He worried at his bottom lips as he let himself be scrubbed clean. When he felt the older man's hands sliding low on his stomach, the boy stuttered a protest and snatched the soap from the man's hands. He quickly lathered up his hands and then handed the bar back to the older man, who was smirking at him. Naruto blushed and glared at him before he finished cleaning himself.

Before he could get out of the tub, a large amount of water was dumped over his head. The blonde gasped, blinking water out of his eyes. He was about to protest when another cup of water was dumped on him. Naruto turned around, looked like a drowned kitten as he glared at the older man. Pein actually laughed out loud at the look, at which point Naruto snatched the cup from his hands and splashed the captain in the face. Then it was Naruto's turn to laugh as Pein blinked the water out of his eyes.

Pein pushed his dripping bangs out of his face with one hand and grabbed a bottle of shampoo with the other. He squeezed the bottle over Naruto's head. The blonde gasped as the cold soap came in contact with his scalp. The captain sat the bottle back down and began rubbing the shampoo into the blonde's scalp. Naruto protested, hands coming up to fend off the red head. Pein grunted and smacked the boy's hands away. Naruto grumbled but relented.

He could take care of himself just fine, thank you very much. But the older man's fingers rubbing against his scalp felt good. He started to relax under the care, letting his head lull forward into Pein's hands.

"Rinsing," Pein warned before he dumped water onto the blonde's head. He repeated the process until all traces of shampoo were gone from Naruto's sunny tresses. When he was done, he carded his fingers through the Uzumaki's sopping wet hair. Naruto blinked up at him, full pink lips slightly part, water trickling down his face. Purple met blue and Naruto's heart skipped a beat. There was something hungry in the older man's eyes, but also something gentle.

Blushing fiercely, Naruto grabbed the bar of soap and came up on his knees between the older man's legs.

"What are you doing?" Pein questioned watching as the blonde's trembling hands slowly pressed the bar of soap against his chest. Naruto's face light up like a Christmas tree, and Pein smirked at blush.

"Returning the favor," the Uzumaki mumbled lowly. Without another word, he began scrubbing at the captain's chest. Pein was far from scrawny, that was for sure. The older man's chest was made of pure muscle, honed by hard work and training. The blonde stared in odd fascination as the foam form the soap slid slowly down Pein's chest. Naruto looked up when a warm hand cupped his cheek. Pein smiled down at him, thumb rubbing softly across the blonde's temple.

The blonde froze in place as the red head slowly leaned forward. Blue eyes widened and his lips parted slightly. But instead of pressing his lips against the boy's, as Naruto had thought he would, the captain pressed a soft kiss to the blonde forehead. One long fingered hand took the soap from the blonde's shaking hand.

Naruto watched as the red head finished bathing himself, mesmerized by the older man's movements. He tried to tell himself he shouldn't trust this man that he could be a bad guy too. But there was something about the way Pein moved, how he spoke and how he touched the blonde, that made Naruto believe he could trust him.

When he was down, Pein stood up, water cascading down his body. Naruto started, blushing hotly and averting his eyes. Pein chuckled and grabbed the boys hand to haul him to his feet. The blonde cried out, pain shooting up his legs. He fell against the older man, hands gripping hard enough to bruise Pein's arms.

The older man caught the blonde under his arms, concern clouding his eyes.

"I'm sorry, Naruto. I forgot about your feet." The blonde had forgotten as well. But as pain pulse through his feet, he knew he wasn't walking anywhere. Without saying a word, Pein gathered the blonde in his arms. This time, Naruto didn't struggle or scream. He wrapped his arms around the captain's neck, blushing at the feeling of his bare skin pressing against the older man's.

Somehow, Pein juggled the blonde and grabbed two towels from the nearby rack. He padded into the bed room, sitting the boy gently on the bed. He tossed a towel to Naruto, who grabbed it and quickly began to dry off. Embarrassment was rising fast as he watched Pein pad around the room, naked as the day he was born. The older man wasn't embarrassed in the slightest and seemed as comfortable parading around naked as he did with a gun in his hand.

Naruto was so caught up in his own thoughts, that he missed Pein sliding on a pair of dark gray boxer briefs and making his way over to the blonde with a hand full of bandages. He blinked back to reality when he felt a gentle hand lift on of his feet off the ground. The blonde watched as Pein slowly wrapped his feet, being sure not to pull the cloth too tight.

Once this was done, Pein returned to his dresser and pulled out a shirt and one of the only pairs of boxers he owned. He tossed the clothes to the blonde and then moved to a small chest that was pushed against the wall beside the dresser. Naruto pulled on the clothing before trying to see what the older man was doing. Pein rummaged around in the chest for a few moments before slamming the chest shut.

Blue eyes locked the thin silver chocker in the captain's hand as Pein made his way back over to the bed.

"Is that…" The blonde trailed off as Pein came close enough for the blonde to recognize the piece of silver. It was a slave color, but unlike one he'd ever seen. The design engraved into the collar in Pein's hand had small stars and crescent moons woven in between swirls and leaves. The ones regular slaves wore were thicker and made of gold. The few sex slaves he had seen had worn one made of silver, slim and thin, but the designs on those were nowhere as intricate as the one the older man was securing around his neck.

Naruto's brow furrowed. He reached up, running his fingers along the cool metal. Pein crouched down to his eye level, hands braced on either side of the blonde.

"This doesn't mean I own you. You're free, but this is to keep you safe. As pretty as you are, the slavers are sure to come after you again. It was specially made for me, years ago. There's no other like it. It gives you access to all parts of every city. And you can freely come and go without having to have me or one of my crew with you." Naruto gave a faint nod at the explanation, still baffled by the whole situation. But he trusted Pein, or, wanted to trust Pein.

So when the older man flicked off the lights in the room, choosing to leave the light in the bathroom on, and slipped under the covers, Naruto followed. The blonde kept himself a good distance from the red head until Pein grabbed him by the hip and pulled him into the cradle of his body. Naruto stiffened and then slowly relaxed into the older man's arms. He pressed his face against Pein's chest, breathing in the strong earthy scent of him.

"You're can sleep. You're safe," Pein murmured into his hair. Frankly, the older man was surprised by the kindness he was showing to a total stranger. But he felt for the boy, otherwise Naruto wouldn't be cradle in his arms, in his bed, on his ship. The blonde gave a small sob and wrapped his arms around the older man, crying until he fell blissfully into the darkness of sleep.

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><p><strong>Author's Note: <strong>Holy fucking god. Why the fuck is this so fucking long? Every time I thought I might be done, my muse was like "Oh, put this" or "It needs this!" Jeeze. Well, that's it for chapter one. I hope you enjoyed it. Thank you for reading. And remember, reviews encourage an author and their muse.


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: **I don't own _Naruto._

**Author's Note: **A small Christmas gift to Felnore and everyone who likes this story!

_Read, review, and please enjoy_!

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><p>Pein groaned in his sleep, frowning hard. He rolled over, away from the heat that seemed intent on searing his side. He blinked slowly, eyes adjusting to the semi darkness of the room. The light from the bathroom cast the room in a soft glow. He was sweating, the covers having been kicked down to the foot of the bed.<p>

One glance at his clock told him his internal clock was a bit fucked. It was barely six in the morning. His alarm was set for seven fifty. The big man groaned, a hand coming up to rub at his face. There was a warmth pressed against his side. Pein blinked, recalling the events of the day before.

Pein glanced over and then sat up in alarm. Naruto was curled on his side, one arm thrown over the older man's lap. His face was flushed, his borrowed shirt sticking to his body with sweat. His breathing was labored and heat radiated off the boy. But the worst part was his cheeks.

During the night, three scratches on each cheek that neither Deidara nor Pein had worried about had festered, causing Naruto's face to swell. The small wounds that had seemed so miniscule before were oozing puss, blood and some kind of green slime.

Pein cursed loudly. He swung his legs out of the bed, gathering up his young charge in his arms. The large man kicked open his door, causing it to slam loudly against the side of the hall. Naruto stirred in his arms, moaning softly. Blue eyes fluttered open, cloudy with fever. He tried to talk but all he managed was a whimper. The older man glanced down at the noise, face tight with worry.

"Hold on. You'll be okay," Pein told him, praying he was right. Praying that Deidara would know what was wrong. Bare feet slapped against the metal of the hall floor as Pein all but ran for the medic's quarters. The door to Deidara and Sasori's room was ajar, light slanting across the hallway.

"Dei!" Pein bellowed, kicking the door open hard enough to dent the wall. Deidara sat up in bed, blurry eyes blinking at his captain.

"Pein?" The medic's voice was groggy and Sasori sat up in bed beside him. The red head yawned, stretching his arms up towards the ceiling.

"It's Naruto," the older man told him, laying the boy across the foot of their bed. Deidara was out of the bed like a shot at that, ignoring the need for clothing. They had all seen each other naked before, and in many different situations. The whole crew never did make friends with embarrassment. He pushed Pein out of the way, bending down to examine the blonde's face. Sasori soon followed, moving past them and towards the shower. Fixing people up was his lover's job, he was just good with flying.

"It's some kind of poison," Deidara muttered, grabbing a cloth and clearing away the mess from one side of the boy's face. More just oozed out. Pein felt frantic. This wasn't his area of expertise. He'd been in situations like this before, they came with the job, but never in his life had his heart beat so hard or fast. Never had fear shivered down his spine and made his throat tight.

"Get the kit." Pein moved on auto pilot. He grabbed the large bag that Deidara kept by the door, and lugged it over to the man. He dropped it to the floor beside Deidara with a heavy thud. Unsure of what to do, the captain sat on the edge of the bed near Naruto's feet. He watched Deidara work, one hand sneaking its way to the boys. Naruto's palm was sweaty and Pein was sure the boy wasn't even aware of his surroundings.

"It's already working its way through his system," the medic muttered, "Hold him still." Without a word, Pein moved to obey. He pressed Naruto's arms gently into the mattress, one leg over the blonde's. The blonde medic pulled out a scalpel, disinfecting it before pressing the metal against Naruto's cheeks.

"This is going to hurt him, so be ready," Deidara warned. The captain nodded. He trusted his friend, but Naruto seemed so out of it he didn't think he'd put up much of a fight. He was wrong.

The blood curdling scream the small boy let out as soon as Deidara began cutting the slightly healed scratches open made Pein want to cry. If his ship wasn't awake before, they were now. The blonde thrashed against Pein's hold, forcing him to increase his grip.

"What the fuck?" The question echoed from the open door, and Pein didn't have to look to know Hidan was there, gun drawn.

"Come hold his head," Deidara told the gunman. The red head heard the soft sound of a gun going back in its holster and then soft footsteps. Hidan grimaced when he saw Naruto's face. The blonde was crying, tears mixing with blood and puss on his face. His mouth was open wide as he screamed.

"By his hair," the medic instructed and Hidan did so without hesitation. When Deidara was in medic mode, you didn't ask questions. You listened and followed. Not even loud mouthed Hidan argued. If there was one person fury that rivaled Hidan's, it was Deidara's. So when Deidara asked for help with a patient, no one asked questions. It was listen or be on the wrong side of the blonde man's fury.

Pale fingers curled into sweaty blonde tresses. Naruto let out another scream, head thrashing back and forth.

"Tight, Hidan." With a frown, the silver haired man complied. He forced the blonde's head immobile. The rest of the crew slowly gathered in the room. Shikamaru knelt by Hidan, rubbing circles across the older man's shoulders. Zetsu leaned against the door jamb for a while and then said he was going to make breakfast. Sasori helped his lover, handing the blonde things when he needed them.

It took them thirty minutes, a shot and a lot of screaming to finally get the blonde patched up. Deidara gave the boy some sleeping medication, telling Pein that sleep was the best thing for him right now. He would be groggy when he woke and would probably throw up a lot. He'd given him something to fight the poison, but the scratches would scar. There was no avoiding it.

**XXX**

Blue eyes blinked open to the view of a drab ceiling. Naruto whined, shifting slightly and then wincing. His whole body was sore. He felt like he'd been drug behind a car for a good thirty minutes. He tried to sit up but a large palm pressed him back into the bed. He blinked, looking up to find Pein standing beside his bed.

The red head smiled weakly down at him and Naruto would have smiled back but his cheeks wouldn't listen. The blonde reached up and traced his fingers across his cheeks. But instead of skin, he felt bandages.

"You were scratched by some poisonous plant. It worked its way through your body while you were asleep," the captain explained. One big hand smoothed back the blonde's hair form his forehead as if he didn't even know he was doing the gesture. "Thankfully we had Dei. He gave you some kind of antidote, and gave you some sleeping medication. You've been asleep for two days now."

"Wa-water," the blonde managed. Pein picked up a glass of ice water off the bedside table. The captain then sat on the edge of the bed. One muscled arm slid under the blonde back, helping him sit up. Pein held the glass to the Uzumaki's lips, and helped him drink half the water. When Naruto had enough, the glass went back on the table and the blonde rested against the older male's chest.

Naruto sighed, head lulling to one side so he could look up at the red head. Pein smiled down at him and smoothed sunshine tresses away from the smaller male's face.

"Well ain't that sweet?" Hidan chuckled from the door way. Pein glared at him, but couldn't deny what he was feeling for the small boy. In the last two days, Pein had been helping Dei the whole time. He took breaks to give orders and check on their course, but other than that, he was always in his quarters. Naruto tended to have nightmares. Nightmares that made the boy scream and thrash. Pein ended up having to lie beside the blonde and hold him.

Never in his life had been like this with anyone else. He'd never taken a woman or a man for more than a night. Never shown such kindness to anyone outside of his own crew and said crew let him know it.

He'd been teased endlessly by Hidan and Deidara. Shikamaru acted indifferent, but Pein saw the sly smirk that sometimes graced the mechanic's lips. Sasori didn't care, as long as his captain did his job. Zetsu had asked if he was sick. The red head hadn't been sure if he'd meant it jokingly or in seriousness. One never knew with the man.

"Dinner's ready, if you wanna join us," the gunman told them from the door, his sentence oddly devoid of curses. Pein looked down into startling bright eyes. It was like a life had suddenly come back into Naruto at the mention of food. The red head didn't miss the sound of the boy's rumbling stomach. Pein laughed.

"Okay, come on. Let's got get some food in you," he told Naruto. When he went to stand, the blonde nearly collapsed. Pein caught him under the arms, chuckling slightly. Naruto protested loudly when Pein tried to swing him up into his arms, so the two slowly made their way to the kitchen.

When they finally got there, the rest of the crew was eating already. Naruto insisted on fixing his own plate and nearly dumped the whole thing on Shikamaru's head. The brunette muttered grumpily and helped Naruto despite the blonde's protests. Naruto blushed from anger and embarrassment but didn't protest any further. The drugs were still strong in his body and he was groggy from sleep and medication. Not to mention he felt like a toddler just learning how to walk.

Naruto found he was a lot more comfortable with this motley crew of people than he'd thought he could be. He even found himself laughing. Blue eyes sparkled with happiness. This felt like home. Well, that it could be home. He was comfortable here, even though he barely knew these people. They'd saved him, took care of him when he was sick.

He glanced at Pein, who'd sat on the other side of the table, to find the older man staring at him. Naruto paused, and their eyes met. There was something in the older man's eyes, something the fourteen year old didn't quite understand. But the look still made his blood run hot.

Naruto dipped his head, and concentrated on his meal. Pein stared for a moment longer before turning to talk with Hidan, but not before Zetsu caught the look in his captain's eyes. The man sighed. This was going to be a long trip home.

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><p><strong>Author's Note:<strong> Sorry this is so short, but I wanted it out on Christmas as a present to Felnore and a sort of present to the people who enjoy this story. Merry Christmas ya'll!


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: **I don't own _Naruto._

**Author's Note: **Enjoy folks!

_Read, review, and please enjoy!_

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><p>"Ready?" Deidara asked Naruto. The blonde took a deep breath and glanced at the large red head standing beside the bed he was sitting on. Pein looked angry, but Naruto had figured out that was just how the man looked when he was worried. Blue eyes met blue and he nodded to the medic. Deidara smiled brightly at him and began piling back the bandages that had been covering his cheeks for days now.<p>

According to the medic, the scratches weren't completely healed, but the swelling had gone down quite a bit and the infection was now gone. Naruto was both scared and anxious to see what scars he would have. Deidara said the scars would be thin, but only because of his medical expertise. The Uzumaki wasn't sure if the man was just being cocky, but he suspected the man was being truthful. Pein seemed to trust the blonde medic a lot, so Naruto trusted him as well.

Sky blue eyes settled on the large man who was shifting his weight between one foot and the other. The large man was wearing nothing but a pair of black leather pants. Naruto was now used to the lack of modesty on the ship, well, mostly used to it. It was still awkward walking in on Hidan naked in the kitchen, or Sasori walking from the laundry room to his bedroom in nothing but a pair of boxers. The fourteen year old had never seen so much bare skin in his life. It didn't matter that he was built the same as everyone else on the ship, seeing another man's bare backside had sent him running back to bed with a blush hot enough to set the sheets on fire.

The first time he'd walked in on Hidan fixing coffee buck naked, Pein had laughed loudly at him. The older male had patted him on the head and went off to tell Hidan to at least put on some boxers. The pat on the head had both angered the blonde and made his heart leap in joy. With each passing day he grew more and more attracted to the red head. He still didn't quite understand his feelings. He'd never had "the talk" with his dad that some of the other boys in his village had had. His life had been tore asunder all in one night. But he had had talks with his friends. All of them had made him blush but he did know what he was feeling.

He knew he liked the older man, liked him in a way he had never liked anyone in his life. His father, even though he'd never sat his son down and talk to him about sex, had made it very clear that it was perfectly okay to like both girls and boys. Love didn't discriminate. But the fact that he liked Pein so much scared Naruto.

While Deidara slowly took the bandages off his face, the blonde let his eyes roam the red heads upper body. Lean muscles was covered by pale skin, and a light dusting of copper colored hair formed a small line from the man's belly button and disappeared into his pants. Arms that Naruto knew could be both gentle and harsh covered Pein's upper chest. The blonde let his eyes roam and as they traced down the leather clad lower body, Naruto suddenly remember his first night on the ship. He remembered his very intimate bath with the captain, to be exact. The memory of the older male's erection pressing against his bare skin made Naruto flush from his head to his toes. His cock twitched in his cotton pants at the memory. The Uzumaki frowned and shifted uncomfortably, hoping that neither man would notice.

Deidara was busy checking his scratches and Pein was closely watching the medic. Sky blue eyes glanced from person to person, and sighed internally when he realized they weren't paying attention to his lower half. The blonde tried to shove they memory away, but it kept coming back. The feel of the other man against him, the heat of is body, the warmth of his breath against his skin, the unmistakable hardness of an erection pressing against his lower back, the huskiness of Pein's voice in his ear, all of it made the blonde shiver slightly. Deidara raised an eye brow and the Uzumaki blush again.

"Well, it looks like it's doing well. No more infection and the poison is all gone. They're healing well." The medic held up a large hand mirror and Naruto's mouth went slightly slack. They hadn't let him see his face in the past few days, so he had no clue what he looked like. There was no more swelling and Deidara was right about no infection. The scratches were healing beautifully but the blonde could tell they were deep. It was no wonder they would scare.

One trembling hand came up to trace a finger lightly across the top scratch on his left cheek. They skin around them was still red, but they were clean scratches. No ragged edges. After a few moments, Naruto let his hand fall back to his side.

"Well, I have to go check on Shikamaru," Deidara said as he stood, "I still don't understand how the boy can hurt himself so badly." The Nara, Naruto had come to find out, was actually very clumsy. He's broken his leg two days ago while walking from the kitchen to the engine room. The brunette still didn't know how he had fell, and neither didn't anyone else. That had been the first time the blonde had seen Hidan fretting over something. Granted, he cursed more when he was worried than when he was angry. Never had the Uzumaki heard so many colorful words in his life.

Deidara nodded to his captain as he left the room. Pein nodded in response and shut the door with a push of his foot. Naruto started at the sudden loud click and blinked up at the older male as Pein came to stand in front of him. The red head crouched in front of him on the balls of his feet. One long fingered hand came up and traced the same scratch that Naruto had. Purple eyes traced the path his finger followed, and then met Naruto's own sky blues.

"You scared the hell out of me that day," Pein told him in a whisper, and Naruto swallowed hard. He had suspected Pein cared for him, but this was the first time the man had actually said anything indicating it.

"I'm sorry." It was the only thing the boy could think of saying. Pein smiled at him and stood.

"It's not your fault," the red head told him as he padded over to his dresser and pulled out a tee shirt. He pulled the cotton over his head and then turned to look at the blonde.

"Come on. It's your turn to take lunch to the Nara." Naruto grimaced at the mention of having to see the brunette. Ever since his second day on the ship, Shikamaru had been instantly teasing him about liking the red head. Naruto suspected the Nara had picked such a thing from his boyfriend, but he couldn't be sure. Maybe the boy was just bored and since Naruto was only two years younger than him, Shikamaru could just be teasing someone he might consider a friend. But that was what Sasori had told him. Naruto didn't doubt the first, but the second seem far-fetched.

Grumbling to himself, Naruto followed the captain out of the room and blue eyes cast downwards. He was scared if he looked upwards, that he would watch the older man's backside as he moved. The blonde had found himself watching him only a few days ago. He'd been so embarrassed at himself that Naruto had avoided looking the older man in the eyes for all of the next day.

He was so caught up in his thoughts that the blonde didn't notice when Pein stopped walking. He ran into the man and fell on his backside with a small squeak. Naruto groaned, frowning hard as he rubbed at his now sore backside. A chuckle sounded above him. The blonde looked up to find sparkling purple eyes laughing at him.

"You sure are clumsy, aren't you?" Pein teased him. Naruto frowned harder as a blush crept across his cheeks. Pein smiled even wider at the blush. He wasn't obliviously to the way the blonde had been acting recently. He'd caught Naruto looking at him longingly many a time, but he was sure the blonde had no idea what he was feeling. And no matter how much he wanted the boy, Naruto was still just that. A boy.

Not that the age difference mattered much to him, but the Uzumaki had been through way too much recently and Pein wasn't about to come on to the boy right now. No matter how much his cock wanted him to.

Pein offered the blonde his hand, and Naruto took it shakily. The captain helped the boy to his feet and then stepped out of his way when Naruto went to brush past him. Pein watched the blonde move quickly down the hall towards the kitchen. His eyes darkened as he watched the boy move, unable to stop himself from tracing the supple curves of the blonde's backside. The red head groaned to himself and turned back to his now shared bedroom.

"Hey." Naruto greeted the older boy as cheerfully as he could. Shikamaru looked up from the book he had been reading and smirked when he saw the blonde.

"Hey," the Nara replied, marking his place and setting the book down. Naruto smiled weakly back, not all that excited about being in the brunette's presences, even for a short amount of time. He handed Shikamaru the plate he had in his hand and the Nara took it with a thank you.

"You like him, don't you?" Shikamaru asked in a serious tone, chocolate eyes watching Naruto intently. The blonde looked up, startled by the question.

"Wh-what do you mean?" Naruto could feel a blush creeping up his neck and he shifted nervously form one foot to the other.

"The captain. You like him, right?" the Nara answered after taking a bite of his sandwich and swallowing. When Naruto didn't reply, Shikamaru sighed.

"Look if you like him, tell him. Everyone can see the way you watch him. And knowing the captain, he'll keep his hands to himself unless you make the first move." Naruto frowned.

"Huh?" Shikamaru rolled his eyes and sat his food down on his bedside table. He turned to look the blonde in the eyes.

"Are you really that naive? You want to fuck him, right?" Naruto thought his hair might catch on fire considering how hard he was blushing. Shikamaru really had picked up on Hidan's habits. Zetsu had been right about that.

"Hell, you probably don't even know what I'm talking about," Shikamaru told him in a dismissive tone. Naruto frowned and then realized what the Nara meant by the statement. Anger seeped into his veins.

"I'm not a child. I know what you're talking about." Shikamaru raised an eyebrow.

"Oh? But do you have the balls to do it?" Naruto's hands twisted in the fabric of his pants. He glared at the brunette before turning on his heel and leaving the room. Damn the Nara. He'd show him. He did have the balls to make the first move. The blonde stomped through ship until he finally came to Pein's bedroom. The door was open and Naruto stormed in, shutting it behind him. Pein looked up at him from where he was going through financial records.

"Naruto?" The blonde ignored him. Mind made up, he moved towards the bed and quickly straddled the man's lap. Pein started, hands coming up to push the blonde away when Naruto kissed him. The blonde squeezed his eyes shut, nose scrunched up cutely. Pein sucked in a breath through his nose, completely at a loss at what to do. On one hand, he wanted to pull the boy closer and show him how to kiss, and on the other he really should be shoving him away.

Just as Pein made up his mind to put a stop to this, Naruto shifted against him, and the boy's erection pressed into the red head's hip. The captain jerked away from the blonde, hands gripping his shoulders. Hazy blue eyes blinked at him from a very flushed face.

"Naruto, what are you doing?" the older male asked breathlessly.

"Making the first move," Naruto answered before kissing him again. Small hands twisted in the fabric of the red head's shirt, and he shifted against Pein again. The red head couldn't stop the groan that rumbled in his chest. Long fingered hands gripped small hips and shifted the blonde more firmly against him. Naruto mewled softly into the kiss, pleasure making goose flesh pop up across his skin.

Pein's hands moved the blonde against him as he mapped Naruto's mouth with his tongue. The blonde whimpered, shacking slightly. Fear and embarrassment were making themselves know in his mind, but lust and pleasure were winning out. Never had Naruto thought kissing could feel this good. His cock twitched against the cotton of his underwear, a completely new sensation.

"We shouldn't be doing this," Pein husked against the blonde lips, hands tugging at the waistband of the Uzumaki's pants.

"Please," the blonde whined, not completely sure what he was asking for. But the need for something was making the muscles of his abdomen tense. Pein groaned against the boy's lips working his pants down as far as he could. He should stop this. He was older, he knew better, but the feel of the blonde against him, even though their clothes, was just too much to say no too.

"Lift your leg," the captain told him, leaving Naruto's lips to kiss down his neck. The blonde's breath hitched but he shifted so Pein could slide his pants and briefs off one leg. Warm hands then slid up the blonde's now bare thighs, causing Naruto to shiver. The blonde whimpered and clutched at Pein's neck when the red head slid a finger along his length.

"Shh," Pein whispered in the boy's ear. Instead of wrapping a hand around the blonde's erection, the captain cupped Naruto's bottom and pulled him close. He shifted Naruto against him, and the blonde gasped as his leaking erection slid across the cool leather of the red head's pants.

Using the hold he had on the boy's bottom, Pein started moving Naruto against him slowly. The blonde shivered, crying out against Pein's neck. The captain kept his movements slow, rocking the boy steadily against him. Small needy noises tumbled from the boy's lips, and he writhed against the older male.

"Feel good?" Pein whispered, nuzzling at the skin behind the blonde's ear. Naruto nodded, clinging closer. His cock twitched and wept against the man's pants and Pein's erection felt amazing against his, even though the leather. With a soft moan, Naruto started moving against the red head on his own.

A husky sigh slipped past Pein's lips, and he let the boy move on his own. Naruto picked up the pace, fronting harder against the captain. Pein smoothed his hands up and down the blonde's side, watching from hooded eyes as Naruto moaned and gasped a top him. This whole situation was completely unexpected but it was too late to stop now. Pein's cock puled in the confines of his pants, and he could feel climax drawing his balls up tight.

He moaned in amazement and reached back to grip harshly at Naruto's backside. There was no way he was going to come just from fry fucking, but as his erection throbbed and wept inside his pants, he knew he was. And from the way the blonde was panting, Naruto was close, too.

"S-scared," Naruto suddenly stuttered, his rhythm flattering. Pein pulled him in for a heated kiss as he moved the blonde faster against him.

"It's okay," the captain assured him, "Come for me, baby." The endearment fell from his lips without his knowledge. Naruto whimpered at the words, and then cried out softly as he came all over Pein's pants. The captain watched Naruto as he came, blue eyes open wide in startled pleasure, and Pein's husky growl followed Naruto's whimper as he came in the confines of his pants.

The blonde fell against Pein's chest, panting hard. The captain rubbed soothing hands up and down the boy's back. Naruto shivered against him, and Pein slid down until they were lying on the bed.

"I got you," the older male whispered and Naruto shivered against him, burying closer. The blonde couldn't believe what he had just done. But the evidence was warm and sticky against his stomach and groin. Pein gently pulled back from the boy, purple searching blue. He didn't find regret in those blue depths, lust, embarrassment and a small amount of fear, but no regret.

"You know I won't hurt you, Naruto," the captain whispered, and Naruto nodded, "It was your first time, wasn't it?" Naruto blushed fiercely before nodding shakily. Pein smiled at how cute the boy was when he was embarrassed.

"We don't have to do anything you don't want to," he whispered, "I'll take care of you." Naruto nodded again and Pein let him burrow back against his chest. Even though he meant every word he had just said, Pein couldn't help thinking, _Fuck. What have I done?_

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><p><strong>Author's Note: <strong>Well, there you go folks, a small lime. I know everyone have been wanting some kind of sexual action and there you have it. I hope you enjoyed it! Thank you for reading and I love hearing from you guys!


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer:** I don't own _Naruto_. And never should. Because they would all be gay. And not in a happy way. Heh, that rhymed.

**Author's Note: **This chapter has been a long time in coming. Sorry it's been so fucking long. My muse ditched and hasn't shown up too much recently. But I'm tying. I swear I am.

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><p>Pein grumbled as he dragged himself from the comfortable warmth of his bed. It was barely five in the morning, but they were coming into port today. They were getting low on supplies and they still had a ways to go before they made it home. They also had a few jobs lined up along the way. One could never have too much money, but you could always have too little. And Pein hated not having the funds to fix his ship if something happened. So they would do a few jobs. Catch a few criminals; maybe steal a little for someone. A job was a job.<p>

The red head glanced back at the bed he'd just abandoned and smiled warmly at the sight he was greeted with. Naruto had rolled over in his sleep and was now snuggled in the spot Pein had just left. The blonde clutched his pillow tightly, sighing softly in his sleep. The captain paused before slipping into the bathroom for a shower.

He stripped himself of his pants, which he had recently started wearing to bed. After the incident a few weeks back, Pein had found Naruto could be more of a handful than any of them had ever thought the blonde could be. The blonde wasn't exactly the go getter type, but after he'd jumped Pein that day, he'd not been shy about his feelings anymore, at least not in private.

The captain gave the blonde as many kisses as he wanted, but when the boy's hands headed south, Pein put an instant stop to it. He didn't regret per say what he'd let happen before, but he wasn't keen on letting it happen again anytime soon. Naruto seemed mostly okay with the older man's decision, but Pein had caught a glimpse of something in his eyes the night before. Something he couldn't quite place. He knew Naruto would eventually get angry with him. Pein needed to explain himself to the blonde before that happened.

The older man sighed heavily as he washed his hair, the suds trailing down his long back and over his bottom. Just a thought of Naruto made him hard and that was becoming quit troublesome. Purple eyes stared down at the erection he now sported. With a stuttering groan, he gave into the urges he'd been staving off for weeks now.

He let images of the blonde float through his mind. Images of Naruto smiling, laughing, throwing insults at Shikamaru, and then his brain took him to the place he still couldn't quite believe had happened.

He remembered the determined set of the blonde's jaw when he'd straddled him that day as his hand slid down his length. Those soft lips against his own had been almost searing in their heat, though the blonde had no technique to speak of. He stroked himself faster as he let the memory take him. His cock wept in his hand as he remembered how the blonde had looked in the throes of pleasure. That little gasp as he'd came undone, all because of Pein. The captain groaned, coming hard. He panted for breath, leaning against the wall for support. Purple eyes blinked against the spray of the shower and vaguely wondered exactly how long he was going to be able to keep his hands off the blonde.

Naruto groaned in his sleep, the edges of a nightmare tugging at his mind. Dirty steel bars surrounded him, darkness stretching as far as he could see. The only light was a dim glow from the lamp attached to the side of his cage. The only sounds were muffled breathing and the low chatter of voices far away.

The blonde woke with a startled scream. Hands gripped at the covers now pooled in his lap and then traced down his shirt covered chest. Wide eyes looked around the room, taking in the gray metal walls, the dresser across from the bed and the large chest near the bathroom door. Naruto's brain slowly caught up with him and he sagged back on the bed in relief.

Seconds later, a dripping wet Pein emerged from the bathroom. The older man had a gun firmly in one hand, aiming it around the room as he searched for nonexistent attackers. As soon as he confirmed Naruto wasn't in any danger, he slowly lowered his weapon. Purple eyes finally came to rest on the relaxed figure of the blonde.

Naruto blinked open his eyes and started at the sight of a naked, dripping wet Pein. A squeak caught in his throat and he turned his head to the side, but he still watched the older man out of the corners of his eyes even as a blush creeped up his cheeks.

"It's was only a dream," Naruto stammered out, shifting uncomfortably on the bed. Pein watched the boy for a moment longer and then disappeared back into the bathroom. Naruto let out a sigh of relief that was quickly sucked it back in when the captain padded back in the room, a towel in his hands. He dried himself as he walked and, as embarrassed as he was, Naruto couldn't look away.

The older man was all muscles and scared skin. Naruto's fingers itched to trace those marks, to feel all of that warm skin pressed against his own. He stifled a groan and twisted his hands in the covers. Pein seemingly paid little attention to him as he dried himself off before pulling out clothes. But the older man was more aware of the blonde than he was of anything else in the room.

Naruto pulled his knees up, shifting as he tried to cover his erection. It had been weeks since he had all but jumped the older man, and nothing else had happened besides a few kisses here and there. The blonde might be young, but he wasn't stupid. He knew Pein was avoiding touching him and Naruto couldn't understand why. He was acutely aware of the man's attraction to him; Pein's erection pressing against his backside during the night was plenty of proof of the fact.

Had he not been good enough? Or had it just been so long since Pein had slept with someone that anyone would do? Naruto thought about how he looked. He'd lost the hollow look to his cheeks weeks ago and the scratches had heeled nicely. But he was still scrawny. There was little to no muscle on his body to speak of. He couldn't compare to someone older, stronger and more beautiful than him.

The blonde bit his lip hard, and shook his head in an effort to get rid of such thoughts. Pein had said he'd never hurt him, that he would take care of him. And Naruto trusted him. When he looked up, Pein was buckling his hostler around his waist, gun firmly in its place. He was already completely dressed and Naruto knew knives were hidden under his clothing.

"Come on." Pein's voice broke through his thoughts and Naruto jumped. Sky blue eyes blinked at the captain before he slowly slipped out of bed. Naruto glanced up at the older male, wondering vaguely if he needed to change or not.

"What you're wearing is fine," Pein told him and Naruto nodded. He shivered as cold metal touched his bare feet and quickly slipped on a pair of shoes. Pein was waiting at the door and he gestured for the blonde to walk out before him.

"Sasori and Shikamaru are going to teach you how to cook. So you can help out more around the ship," Pein told the small blonde as they walked down the hall. Naruto grimaced at the sound of Shikamaru's name but said nothing. He hadn't been much help to anyone in the past few months and he knew everyone on the ship carried their own weight in some way or another. But he had been let off easy because of his situation.

Now, he was expected to actually do something to help out other than keeping the captain's bed warm and his room clean.

They quickly came to the kitchen where the rest of the crew was already gathered. Deidara smiled at him and then leaned in to give Sasori a quick kiss before heading down to the hull. Naruto felt his chest grow tight at the action and glanced over at Pein, who was talking with Hidan. The captain was paying him no heed.

Naruto sighed, hand coming up to trace the metal around his neck. It had become something of a nervous habit over the time he'd worn it. He knew the pattern like the back of his hand. He knew it labeled him a slave but no one on the ship treated him any different. So Naruto didn't really think about it.

When Naruto finally looked back over at Pein, he found the captain gone and Hidan attached to Shikamaru. Naruto blushed at the site the couple presented, still not used to seeing two people basically eat each other's faces. The Nara eventually punched his lover hard in the side and Hidan pulled back with a grunt. The older man glared at his lover who only pointed towards the hull of the ship, face tight with annoyance. Hidan smiled at Shikamaru, moving in to press a kiss against the brunette's cheek. Shikamaru's face softened but only for a second. Hidan used the Nara distracted state to get a handful of the brunette's backside. Shikamaru cursed loudly and Hidan dodged the punch aimed at him. The man waved at Naruto and Sasori as he walked down the hall way. Shikamaru's face was red and he turned around to face the pair with a huff.

Naruto frowned, chest aching at the fact that he hadn't even gotten a goodbye. A pat on the head, a kiss to the cheek, even a slap would have been better to the blonde than the captain leaving without a word. Naruto swallowed down sadness; face hardening as he turned to face Sasori.

"What are we cooking?" The blonde was proud of himself for keeping the hurt out of his voice.

"Um, first have you ever cooked before?" Naruto nodded. He'd cooked a little with his mother. The thought of his parents had him clenching his fists at his sides but otherwise he showed no outward sign of his feelings.

"Okay good. Let's get started."

Two hours later and Naruto knew his way around the kitchen. They had made five dishes so far and were in the middle of baking a cake when Shikamaru opened his mouth and what Naruto had known he would ask came out.

"So, how was Pein's cock?" Naruto sputtered at the words, face turning redder than the bowl in his hands. He turned slowly to look at the older male, mouth slack in shock.

"What?" Sasori blinked up from the book he was reading at the small exchange. He'd let Shikamaru take over the baking portion of the lesson and was lounging by the table.

"The other night. When you got pissed at me and jumped him. Don't pretend it didn't happen it was plastered all over your face the next day. So how good is he in bed?" Shikamaru asked with a smirk. He turned to face the blonde.

Naruto was flushed all the way to his toes. He had been expecting something along this line to happen but never had he imagined Shikamaru would be so blunt. He should have known better. The brunette was dating Hidan after all.

"I've seen him naked. He looked huge. I bet it felt awesome having him fill you and stretch y-argh!" A face full of flour stopped the Nara's sentence. Before he could react, Shikamaru found himself on the floor and enraged Naruto punching him square in the jaw.

"You perverted fuck!" Naruto cried, anger surging through him, "It's none of your business what happens between me and Pein!" Naruto pulled back to get in another punch but suddenly found himself on his back, head banging painfully against the metal of the floor.

"Something must have happened for you to react like this!" Shikamaru sneered. Naruto growled, showing hard at the boy atop him. But Shikamaru was bigger and a lot stronger.

"I bet he fucked that sweet little ass of yours into the mattress all night," the Nara told him and Naruto growled under him, bringing up a knee and catching the Nara in the stomach. Shikamaru grunted, rolling to the side. Naruto scrambled to his feet. Anger mixed with fear and resentment inside him. And hurt. The thought of Pein touching him hurt. Hurt because the older man refused to touch him now and Naruto had no idea how to deal with the situation.

So he picked up the eggs from the counter and threw them at the Nara. Shikamaru rolled to miss the projectiles, but one caught him on the side of the head and the other in the chest. The brunette picked up the closest thing to him, the bottle of milk, and dumped it over Naruto's head. The blonde sputtered, swinging a punch aimed for the Nara's face, but Shikamaru blocked him, catching the blonde in the chin.

Naruto's head snapped back, pain flaring across his jaw. He launched himself at the brunette, knocking him to the floor. The rolled around, banging into the counters before coming to a stop with Naruto on top of the Nara.

Sasori observed the fight from the safety of the table. He'd make them clean the mess up later. And Pein would take the wasted food out of their wages. Well, Shikamaru's.

"That never happened!" Naruto shouted, his feelings getting the better of him, "We've never fucked!" The word sounded odd in his voice but the blonde could care less. His chest felt tight and he could feel tears prickling at the back of his eyes.

"We haven't done anything! Why would you even think a guy like your captain would even want me?" The sentence escaped his mouth before he could stop it. Shikamaru blinked wide eyes up at him and then Naruto was gone. He shot off the Nara and was down the hall in a flash. He ran at a break neck speed and took one corner too sharp. He crashed to the floor, tearing one knee of his pants and scrapping his forearm from wrist to elbow.

Naruto ignored the pain and the sound of his name echoing behind him. He could feel tears running down his cheeks and he really didn't want either of the two men behind him to see. Crying had been a weakness to the men who had taken him and Naruto didn't want anyone to see him as weak, especially the people on this ship.

The blonde slammed the door to Pein's room closed behind him. He was all but sobbing as he stumbled into the bathroom. He scrambled out of his clothing and all but fell into the shower. He turned on the water as hot as he could and let himself slid to the floor.

Tears mixed with water as he tried to get himself together. Naruto pulled himself up onto shaky legs, and leaned against the wall. He rubbed at his face, fighting back hiccups and sobs. He was stronger than this. Some little school yard esc fight wasn't something he should be crying over. But the pain of those words still hurt even if Shikamaru had only been teasing. Of course the brunette thought something had happened. The whole ship probably did.

The thought made Naruto blush all the way to his toes. But nothing had happened. They weren't fucking every night like Shikamaru seemed to think. In fact, Naruto was starting to think it would never go that far.

The blonde pushed those thoughts away, and scrubbed himself clean. By the time he got out of the shower, his face was blotched and his eyes red rimmed. Naruto sighed as he dried off, tossing the towel somewhere behind him as he stumbled to the bed. He collapsed in it, exhausted from his small break down. He was sore from the fight and the mad dash to the room. It didn't take him long to drift off.

That was how Pein found him thirty minutes later. Shikamaru had already cleaned up the mess, taking credit for the whole spat. The Nara ran the last sentence Naruto had yelled at him around and around in his head. What had the blonde meant by that? Shikamaru wanted to ask the Uzumaki but he knew better than to pick at the small blonde any more than he already had.

Pein sunk down onto the bed beside the blonde, combing back the still damp hair that had fallen in his face. A bruise was forming across his chin, dark purple marring the tanned skin. The captain sighed, relaxing as he realized the blonde wasn't really hurt. There was a small knock on the door and Pein looked up to find Shikamaru standing in the door way.

The Nara smiled sheepishly at him and slowly walked into the room.

"He okay?" the Nara asked, eyes on the sleeping blonde.

"He was asleep when I got here but he seems okay," Pein answered, pulling the covers further up the blonde's body. Shikamaru looked at the blonde for a second more and then turned to stare at Pein. The question was on the tip of Shikamaru's tongue but the Nara decided it really wasn't his business. He really hadn't any right to go prying into his captain's personal relationship, except it worried him how it was affecting the blonde. They weren't really friends, Shikamaru knew that for sure, but the blonde was young, naïve. And the Nara knew full well what it was like to get hurt, to trust and get let down. So as he backed out of the room, Shikamaru promised himself and Naruto that he would try and treat the blonde better, make friends with him. So when and if the Uzumaki's world came crashing down, someone would be there who could pick up the pieces.

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><p><strong>Author's Notes: <strong>Well, that was an um interesting chapter. I hope you guys enjoyed it. More to come soon! Thank you for reading and tell me what you thought with a review! 3


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer: **I don't own _Naruto._

**Author's Notes: **This chapter is very Naruto and Shikamaru centric. This is still a Pein/Naruto fic, but it's going to be a few chapters before any more actual Pein/Naruto happens. A few things need to happen and get sorted out first. Just bare with me.

_Read, review and please enjoy!_

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><p>Naruto didn't know what he was going to do. He hadn't seen Pein in almost three days now. The older man no longer came back to his room at night and when Naruto did see him, Pein ignored him completely. He tried to talk to the captain but every time he did, Pein ignored him completely and stalked off. Naruto was nearly distraught.<p>

He couldn't recall if he'd done something to offend the captain. The man wasn't around long enough for him to even say 'hi' to let alone anger. Naruto wasn't sure what to do. He worried that if he approached Pein or cornered him that it would only make things worse. He'd never been in this situation before. He'd never had a girlfriend, had never dated. Hell, he'd never even kissed anyone until Pein.

"Hey." Naruto jumped at the sound of Shikamaru's voice. He turned wide blue eyes to stare at the brunette. Shikamaru leaned a hip against the entrance to the engine room, arms crossed over his chest, small smile tugging at his lips.

"I finally found you. I didn't expect you to hide some where I might be," Shikamaru told him as he moved forward. Naruto grunted, hugging his knees tighter to his chest. The small blonde had fit himself in between two pieces of machinery, effectively hidden from sight, or so he had thought.

Shikamaru sat across from him, back against the metal wall of the ship. Naruto refused to look at him, still angry about what had happened last time they had been in the same room. He wasn't proud of how he had reacted to what Shikamaru had said, but he still thought the brunette deserved it.

"What do you want?' Naruto growled. He had enough to deal with without the Nara's smart ass comments.

"I wanted to apologize." Naruto looked up in surprise. This was the last thing he'd expected for Shikamaru. "What I said to the other day, it was out of line," Shikamaru continued, "What happens between you and the captain isn't any of my business."

Naruto didn't know how to respond. So he stared at the brunette until Shikamaru sighed.

"Well, I don't blame you if you don't forgive me. I just wanted to let you know." The Nara shifted to stand up and leave Naruto to his own thoughts. Shikamaru knew what it looked like when someone was brooding over things and you would have to be blind not to see how depressed his little blonde shipmate had gotten.

"Wait," Naruto said. Shikamaru paused and glanced over at the blonde. Naruto was chewing on his bottom lip, chin propped on his knees.

"I don't forgive you but I accept you apology," Naruto finally managed, "You can stay if you'd like." Shikamaru blinked in surprise at the offer. He'd thought Naruto would blow up at him for even daring to try and talk to him. To have the blonde accept his apology and then offer his company boggled Shikamaru.

Naruto watched as Shikamaru sat back down, one leg bent at the knee and the other stretched out to the side. They didn't say anything for awhile, Naruto going back to brooding over Pein and Shikamaru content to just watch the blonde. There was more emotion in Naruto's blue eyes than Shikamaru ever dared showed in his own. Naruto was young, didn't know how to hide his emotions yet. Shikamaru liked Naruto's innocent nature, it was a nice change from the battle roughened people he delt with on a daily basis. But he knew that innocence sacred his captain, probably even more than Pein's own lust for the little blonde.

"So, hiding out these days? I haven't seen you in a few days." It was hard for Shikamaru not to directly ask Naruto what was wrong. He was a direct person. It was a lot quicker to just be blunt than beat around the bush but Shikamaru had a feeling that Naruto wouldn't appreciate if he just asked him what was up with Pein. He doubted Naruto even knew what was going on.

Naruto glanced at him and then looked down at his feet. "Everyone just seems so busy. I don't want to be underfoot," Naruto answered. He didn't include the fact that Pein seemed to be in a foul mood recently.

Shikamaru recognized the excuse for what it was but didn't call the younger male out on it. Instead he said, "Well, if you don't what to be under foot, why don't you help out?"

"I'm no good at cooking and I don't know anything about engines or medicine."

"You can learn." Naruto looked up at him at that. Shikamaru pointed to the tool box on the shelf to their left.

"I can show you a thing or two about the engines and I know that Deidara wouldn't mind some company every now and then. But if you're not interest in that, I have a few books I can loan you," Shikamaru told him. Naruto instantly perked up at the mention of books.

"What kind of books?" The blonde had never had an extensive collection of books to choose from, but his dad had made sure his son knew how to read and write. And he'd passed down his love of reading to his son.

"Why don't you come with me and check 'em out?" Shikamaru nodded to the exit as he stood. He offered a hand to the blonde with a smile. Naruto hesitated and then let Shikamaru help him to his feet.

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><p>Pein groaned in annoyance as he rolled over on his make shift bed. The hard metal of bench did nothing for his aches and pains but the captain felt as if he had no choice. He knew there was a perfectly nice, warm bed just down the hall. But that nice warm bed also came with a nice warm Naruto. And that was where his issue lies.<p>

Pein didn't know if he'd be able to keep his hands to himself if he was around the blonde like that. He didn't want to hurt the boy. That was the very last thing he wanted. What Pein really wanted was to taste the blonde lips again, feel that small body against his own and so many other things.

That was why he was here, on the bridge, instead of in bed with Naruto. Pein didn't know any other way to handle the situation. He was trying to do what was best for the blonde. Well, what he felt was best even if Naruto didn't feel the same.

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><p>The blonde borrowed quite a few of the Nara's books, immersing himself in the fantasy worlds he found on the pages. The characters lives were full of adventure and friendship. Naruto found he envied them. He might be on an adventure but he felt lonelier than ever stuck on the ship.<p>

Shikamaru seemed to be making a point of searching him out. It didn't matter where he hid, the Nara found him. So Naruto gave up trying to hide. It made no never mind anyways. Pein had become even more irritable as the days past and had even snapped at Naruto when the blonde had worked up his courage to go see him.

He'd known Pein had taken to sleeping on the bridge. Naruto didn't understand why when there was a perfectly good bed waiting for him in his room. The only conclusion Naruto could come to was that he was the reason the captain was avoiding his own bed. So the blonde had gone to confront Pein about it.

He found Pein easily since the red head spent most of his time on the bridge. When he'd come in, Pein was shirtless, lounging on the small pallet he'd made himself.

Naruto had froze, courage suddenly failing him. He hadn't been able to keep his eyes off all that skin. Scars crisscrossed the red head's chest, curving around his sides and disappearing from Naruto's view. He'd known Pein had seen his fair share of fights, but the scars only made it more real. Naruto had wanted to cross the space between them and trace each scar with his fingers, and, if Pein would have let him, with his tongue.

Naruto had still been frozen in place when Pein noticed him. The red head had grunted in faked annoyance, and barked, "What do you want?"

Naruto had jumped at the harsh tone, suddenly nervous. He'd heard from Shikamaru that Pein was grumpy recently; snapping at people for little to no reason, and the blonde hadn't wanted to anger the red head.

"I just wanted to see how you were. I haven't really seen you recently," Naruto managed to get out, hands clammy with sweat.

"I've been busy, kid. I don't have time for games," Pein groused, rolling over so his back was to the blonde, "If that's all you want, get out so I can rest. I have to make a stop tomorrow." Naruto's heart had ached in his chest, but he'd turned around and made his way out of the bridge.

He hadn't seeked the older man out since. His chest still ached when he thought about it. He didn't understand what to do. He couldn't take back what happened. It seemed as if Pein wanted to forget it ever happened, but Naruto couldn't – didn't want to- forget.

He sighed sadly, pulling the covers further up his body. It was already late at night and he really should be asleep. But he couldn't quiet his mind.

The sound of footsteps made him sit up. He watched as Pein moved across the room. The light from the bedside lamp casted the far reaches of the room in shadows but Naruto knew it was the captain. No one moved quite the way the read head did.

"Pein?" Naruto asked before he could stop himself. The red head paused before moving to the dresser.

"Yeah kid, it's me. I'm just getting some clothes." The words were soft, gentle. They reminded Naruto of the Pein he'd first met and nothing of the Pein that had been haunting his mind for the last few days.

He watched as the red head pulled open a few drawers, pulling out shirts, pants and underwear. The blonde chewed at his lip and then, "I'm sorry." Pein froze and slowly turned to look at him.

"What are you sorry for?" Naruto could hear the confusion in the captain's voice. He couldn't see Pein's eyes but he could feel them on him.

"For...," Naruto swallowed hard, "For kissing you and…" Naruto blushed and couldn't finish the sentence. He wasn't sorry, not really. But if apologizing would get Pein to talk to him again and sleep in the same bed, he'd do it.

"No, I'm the one that's sorry," Pein answered, "I shouldn't have let you. You're too young to understand the consequences. You didn't know what you were doing."

Naruto frowned. He watched Pein turn to gather up his clothing before saying, "I knew what I was doing. I wanted it. I…I'd do it again if you would let me." The blonde blushed as he said the last, not able to look at Pein. All he heard was footsteps as Pein moved back across the room.

"It was a mistake, kid. It's not going to happen again." Naruto looked up at those words, blue eyes wide. He caught sight of Pein's back as the older man moved out of the room. He listened to the sounds of the older man's footsteps as his heart dropped to his stomach. He slowly lay back down, regretting the fact that he'd even said anything in the first place. Maybe if he'd kept his mouth shut, he could keep on pretending. Maybe, if he'd kept his mouth shut, tears wouldn't be prickling at the backs of his eyes.

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><p>Shikamaru was on his way back to his room when he passed by Naruto's room. The light was still on but that was normal for the blonde. He usually stayed up late reading. But as the brunette passed by the open door, he saw that Naruto wasn't reading. His book was closed and sitting on the bed side table. The blonde was facing away from the door, shoulders shaking.<p>

Shikamaru wasn't really a nosey person, but he'd gotten to know the blonde pretty well over the last few days. He might not consider them friends but he was worried about the little blonde. Hell, he'd even go as far as saying he cared for him.

So the Nara only paused for a second before entering the blonde's room with a soft knock against the door frame.

"Go away." Naruto's voice was watery, and a small sob followed the order. Shikamaru didn't hesitate moving to the bed and lying down beside the smaller boy. Naruto tensed, but soon relaxed. Shikamaru didn't say anything. If Naruto wanted to tell him what happened, he would.

"He hates me," Naruto finally whispered. He didn't roll over but Shikamaru could hear his sobs. The brunette placed a hand on Naruto's arm and, when the blonde didn't pull him away, pulled him against his chest. Nothing more was said. Naruto fell asleep not long after, and Shikamaru decided not to leave the blonde alone. He knew very well what heart break was like and he'd been even younger than the blonde was. The thought only made him wanted to punch his captain even more.

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><p><strong>Author's Note: <strong>Clichéd angst here we go! Yeah, I know that was kinda harsh and Shikamaru and Naruto might have just shared a pretty clichéd moment there, but I promise this isn't going to be a ShikaNaru story. It's still PeinNaru. And trust me; Pein is going to get a pretty big wake up call in a chapter or two. I hope you enjoyed it! Thank you for reading!


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